Molding-machine



A. S. BIXBY. MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27,1915- Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

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, MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27.1915.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

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UNIT D s rA rns rA'rnNr ornion LLAN s. BIXBY, or INDIANAPoLIs, INDIANA, AssIsNoia TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMEANY, or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLAN S. BIXBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Molding-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a molding machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a section of the cylinders'comprising operating mechanism; Fig. 4: is a section of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, but in a different operative relation; Fig. 5 is a detail of the valve in the supplementary piston; Fig. 6 is a detail of the valve operating plunger, Fig. 7 is a detail of the bail centering member, and Fig. 8 shows a detail of the cylinder heads wit 'a cylinder case of different dimensions shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, secured therein.

My invention relates to power molding machines, and consists in a slidably mounted table for the molds, so actuated that it will pack the molding material in the mold while the mold is being filled, and after the mold has been filled will squeeze the mold and'thereby compress the molding material therein. My invention also consists in mechanism whereby various sizes of pressure cylinders may be used merely by changingthe case and contained parts, but without changing the cylinder heads. My invention also consists in the construction and cooperation of the various parts which I shall hereinafter describe and claim.

Referring to the drawings, the machine has two cylinder heads 2 and 3, which have at each end recesses A for reception of sleeves 5, which may be secured in the recesses by Babbitt metal or any other suitable means. The lower cylinder head 2 is supported on struts 6, which, if it is desired to have the machine movable from place to place, may be mounted on wheels 7. The struts 6 also support a shaft 8, which extends beneath the head. 2 and seats 1n bearings 8 in the Specification of Letters Patent.

MOLDING-MACHINE.

ends of the head 2. Botatably mounted on the ends of the shaft 8 are bail rod bearings 9, which carry the lower ends of the bail rods 10. On the upper end of the rods 10 is secured the bail 11, the height of which may be adjusted on' the rods 10 by the nuts 11. V I

The cylinder case 12 seats in grooves 13 and 14 respectively, in the upper and lower heads 2 and 3. I have shown in Fig. 8 each head having a number of grooves, so that eachhead is capable of use with casings and pistons of various sizes. After the case 12 Patented J an. 6, 1920,

Application filed July 27, 1915. Serial No. 42,168.

has been put in position between the upper andlo-wer heads 2 and 3 they are bolted together and the sleeves 5 are applied.

The table 15, which is mounted on, but not secured to, the inner or supplementary piston B, has on each end guide rods 16, which reciprocate through the openings in the upper head 3 and the sleeves 5, and extend in lowermost position into the recesses a in the lower head 2.

Air for the main cylinder is admitted through the valvel'i', and is tapped directly into the bottom of the main cylinder through the inlet 17, and is exhausted through the same inlet 17 and valve 17 Two openings 18 are arranged in the upper part of the case 12, through which air above the main piston A escapes in squeezing, and through which air enters as the main piston is retracted. Air for the jarring operation is controlled by the valve 19 and is tapped into the supplemental cylinder B through the-inlet 19.

The device is operated as follows:

The operator, when the device is first used, has placed the mold case or flask C on the table 15 above the secondary piston B. The valve 19 is opened and the air passes through the inlet 19 into the chamber 20 in the piston B as is shown in Fig. 3. In the chamber 20 is positioned a valve 21, which has channels 22 in the sides of its head and rod 23, thus permitting the passage of air when the valve is raised from its seat 24:, down into the chamber 25 between the pistons A and B, thus raising the piston B. At the same time the air passes through the duct 26 down into the chamber 27 and raises the plunger 28. The plunger 28 has a stem 29, intended to engage the lower end of the valve rod 23. The plunger 28 is lifted by the air in the chamber 27 and keeps in contact with the rod 23, holding it ofi its seat 24 and permitting the air to continue to enter into the chamber 25.

As the air continues to enter the chamber 27 the plunger 28 will rise, following the rod 23, until its shoulder 30 strikes the stop 31, and thereafter, as the supplementary piston B continues in its upward movement, the rod 23 will remain stationary and the seat 24 on the supplementary piston B will come into contact with the valve 21, closing the air passage and cutting off the air supply. The air in the chamber continues to expand and to lift the supplementary piston B with its load, thus carrying the rod 23 away from the upper end of the stem 29,

thereby opening the duct 32 in the stem 29 and permitting the air to escape through the duct 33 into the primary cylinder chamber 34. The force of the outrushing air will assist in driving down the plunger 28, the air from the chamber 27 escaping through the duct 26, through which it entered into the chamber 25. To make the return or downward movement of the plunger reliable and positive, I, however, prefer to employ a spring 28, interposed between the plunger and the stop or shoulder 31, which is strong enough to force the plunger downward when the air pressure is relieved.

When the pressure is relieved mental piston B drops down, striking the shoulder 35, thus jarring down the sand in the mold. As the supplementary piston B drops down, carrying with it the valve rod '23,'its lower end again comes into contact with the stem 29, as is shown in Fig. 4, which keeps it from dropping with the supplementary piston B, thus unseating the valve 21 and permitting the air to again enter through the channels 22 in the sides of the valve 21 and its rod 23 into the chamber 25.

The cycle of operations is again and again repeated until the mold is filled andthe sand has been packed or jarred down firmly into place.

' When the mold has been filled, as just described, the operator places the cover on the top of the mold and then pulls the bail 11 over into vertical alinement with the mold table 15. He then opens the valve 17, admitting air into the primary cylinder chamber 34, which lifts the piston A and with it the supplementary cylinder B and the mold C, and squeezes the mold against the bail 11. en sufficient pressure has been applied in this manner the valve 17 is turned to exhaust position and the air in the lower the supplepart of the primary cylinder chamber is exhausted, permitting the main piston A to retract or descend, and with it the mold table and mold. The bail 11 is then swung to one side and the mold may then be removed.

The bail 11 is held in a vertical position by a centering member 36, preferably rectangular in form, which at one end is secured to the frame of the machine and at its other end 39 seats in a recess 37 of the spring 38 attached to a bail rod 10. The bail 11 can be swung to one side, as is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, only to the extent provided for by the aperture in the member 36 through which the bail rod 10 extends.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalent for the features shown and described, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a power molding machine, cylinder heads adapted for securing therein differently dimensioned cylinder cases and being 95 also adapted to contain differently dimensioned operating parts, and a movable mold table guided by at least one of said cylinder heads and actuated and supported by the operating parts.

2. In a molding machine, a cylinder, a fluid actuated piston within said cylinder, a valve mounted in one of said members and movable therewith, a plunger in the other of said members having a valve seat thereon, 05 said valve seat normally holding the valve in open position, the plunger being moved by fluid pressure so that the valve seat follows the valve for a portion of the stroke of the piston, the valve moving away from 110 the valve seat during the remainder of the stroke of the piston allowing the valve to close, and providing an outlet for the actuating fluid.

3. In a power molding machine, a mov- 115 able mold table mounted on a piston, said piston being positioned in a chamber in a second piston, said second piston being seated in a cylinder, an air inlet throu h the first-mentioned piston into the cham er in 120 the second mentioned piston, a valve in said inlet, and a plunger mounted in said second mentioned piston adapted to unseat the valve in said inlet and thereby admit air.

4. In a power molding machine, upper 125 and lower cylinder heads, a plurality of oppositely disposed sets of recesses in said cylinder heads adapted to receive differently dimensioned cylinder cases.

5. In a molding machine, a cylinder, a

fluid actuated piston Within said cylinder, a tion of the stroke of the piston, the valve valve mounted in one of said members and moving away from the plunger during the movable therewith, a plunger in the other remainder of the stroke, thereby uncovering 1o of said members. engaging a stem on the an outlet for the actuating fluid between the 5 valve to hold the valve normally in open members.

position, the plunger being moved by fluid pressure to follow the valve during a por- ALLAN S. BIXBY. 

